Israel's oldest newspaper sanctioned for critical reporting

Israel's oldest newspaper sanctioned for critical reporting

CNN – On Sunday, Israel's cabinet unanimously decided to sanction the country's oldest newspaper, Haaretz. The move follows critical reporting on the war published after the Hamas attacks on October 7, as well as statements by the newspaper's editor, who called for sanctions against high-ranking government officials.

Haaretz and its critical reporting

Haaretz, internationally respected, has provided extensive coverage of alleged abuses by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in its coverage of the war following the Hamas attacks on October 7, while military operations expanded in Gaza and neighboring Lebanon.

Government action against the newspaper

The proposal, put forward by Communications Minister Shlomo Kar'i, would require the government to stop advertising in the newspaper and cancel all subscriptions for state employees and employees of state-owned companies.

Haaretz described this move as an attempt to silence a critical, independent newspaper.

Reactions to the decision

In a statement after the vote, Kar'i wrote: "We must not allow the editor of an official newspaper in the State of Israel to call for sanctions against the state and support the enemies of the state in the midst of a war, while international institutions undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel."

Criticism of the editor's statements

Amos Schocken, the newspaper's editor, came under fire after he wrote in a Speech at an event in London on October 27th spoke of Palestinian “freedom fighters”.

"The (Netanyahu government) does not care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population. It ignores the costs to both sides of protecting the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters, whom Israel labels terrorists," he was reported to have said.

After widespread criticism of his comments in Israel, Schocken clarified that he does not believe Hamas fighters are freedom fighters.

Correction from Haaretz

In a commentary, Haaretz said Schocken was referring to "Palestinians living under occupation and oppression in the West Bank." Still, the newspaper acknowledged that Schocken had made a "mistake" by calling anyone who intentionally harms and terrorizes civilians a "freedom fighter." The correct term is “terrorists.” Schocken also called for international sanctions against Israeli leaders in order to persuade the government to change course.

Haaretz criticizes government decisions

“In a sense, what is happening now in the occupied territories and in part of Gaza is a second Nakba,” he said. “A Palestinian state must be established, and the only way to achieve this is through the use of sanctions against Israel, against the leaders who oppose it and against the settlers.”

In his statement on Sunday, Kar'i cited Haaretz's coverage of the war as the reason for the decision: "The decision came after many articles that undermined the legitimacy of the State of Israel in the world and its right to self-defense."

Criticism of freedom of expression in Israel

Haaretz condemned the move in one Explanation on Sunday, calling it “another step in Netanyahu’s journey to dismantle Israeli democracy.” “Like his friends Putin, Erdoğan and Orbán, Netanyahu is trying to silence a critical, independent newspaper,” the statement said. “Haaretz will not give in and turn into a government newspaper that publishes messages approved by the government and its leader.”

A worrying trend

This action follows the military raid and shutdown of Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah two months earlier and the closure of the station's operations in May, which was strongly condemned by the United Nations and human rights organizations.

On Friday, the Commission to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that preliminary investigations revealed That at least 137 journalists and media workers were killed while covering the war, making this the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began collecting data in 1992.